Saint of the week: Jude the Apostle (October 28)

St Jude of Thaddeus was St James the Lesser’s brother and a relative of Jesus. Biblical scholars agree that he was the son of Clopas and his mother Mary was the Virgin Mary’s cousin.

Ancient scholars also say that St Jude preached the Gospel in Judea, Samaria, Idumaea, Syria, Mesopotamia and Libya. According to Eusebius, he returned to Jerusalem in the year 62 and helped with the election of his brother, St Simeon, as Bishop of Jerusalem.

St Jude should not be confused with Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Christ.

When the disciples are named in Matthew 10:3 and Mark 3:18, Jude’s name does not appear, but “Thaddeus” does. This led early Christians to think that Jude was also known as “Thaddeus” as a sort of nickname.

In John 14:22, a disciple referred to as “Judas not Iscariot” is assumed to be Jude. But little else is known about his life.

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